How To Split An Atom - Latest Comments in Nice Threads You Got There

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

mp3 house — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:08:04 -0000

in our days email is more easier instead of an postcard ;)

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

sbspalding — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:26:07 -0000

I've been looking on and off but I can't find it. I'll try to take a better
look this weekend.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Maggy Young — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:18:19 -0000

Hi ophelia, you hit on a good point, last sentence para. 2. With letters, you felt that you had to pad them, to make the letter worthwhile & also to save the need for another. The speed & ease of email makes you conscious of brevity. You think 'how can I put it more succintly?'
Also anyone yet got an answer to my earlier comment that there is an app. about a year old which enables you to blank out email contents after sending - great for sent in error. Can anyone tell us the name ? It was probably featured on TechCrunch or Mash.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Monavie — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:07:00 -0000

Alberto, hit a key point here. That's almost as bad as a person who gets frustrated trying to get their point across, and they just keep sending you the same email thinking that it will make more sense the more they send it. I found an easy way to bomb-proof your emails is to print them off and edit them by hand, that way you don't feel rushed.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

JD — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:36:17 -0000

I agree email is impersonal. A lot of problems can be solved by picking up the phone or talking face to face. With emails things can get blown out of proportion.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Tosh — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:22:09 -0000

Not to mention the inpersonality of it all.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

DB — Tue, 27 May 2008 01:51:26 -0000

Yes, this has happened to all of us, and it's only beginning. We have to be careful to be present to our communication more and more these days.

Email can create fear, but it also increases accountability...

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

ophelia_chong — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:16:32 -0000

Thank you Jo Ann. :O) I hate it when I get mass emails with all the addresses visible. Then someone replies "Reply All". Its a ferris wheel that never stops.
:O) ophelia

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

atom — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:13:29 -0000

Such a brilliant read. Thank you.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Jo Ann Woh — Mon, 26 May 2008 17:27:06 -0000

Hi Ophelia,

You've made some astute observations in your blog. You're a captivating writer and we wish you more and many! We too, hate
Forwards...apparently not enough else to do.

Best wishes to you and hoping you continue to add your thoughts as articulately as you have here.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

ChoiLatte — Mon, 26 May 2008 12:34:25 -0000

Then there are people who hit "Reply All," just to say, "Hey, don't hit REPLY ALL!" Ah, technology...

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

pgsmith — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:21:47 -0000

Very interesting. I prefer to write letters when dealing with personal issues, and try to be brief and careful when sending an email. Its like using a cell phone. Turn it off in a restaurant and in public. Answer when you can talk in private.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

ophelia_chong — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:53:01 -0000

I love your last line. How true. And I agree with you about email vs. snail mail. When I do send out letters, I take care in the presentation, most of the time its written on paper I personally hand set on a printing press.
(now that's hand crafted) :O)
It's interesting to now classify the personal letter as a "craft". Of course I love email because its not using paper. The speed, ease of use, just about everything about it. It can also work against the user if they are not careful of what they send. I am for slowing down a bit and taking the time to craft that email so that it is to the point and concise without filler.

And there should be a breathalyzer for those who send emails and IMs while drunk. I have gotten a few of those and after a bit of head scratching I think of how I can put it to good use.

thanks maggy. :O)

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

sbspalding — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:11:03 -0000

I think that last part, the rarity, is important not to forget.
Imagine a world where you received 50 personal emails a day. Who could
keep up with the paper?

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Maggy Young — Sun, 25 May 2008 17:54:17 -0000

Now 47 comments on an article on email. But a few words in favour. When the computer is in for repair, email is what most people really miss. Aw come on all , it's just so great NOT to have to write a proper letter & use snailmail whenever you want to ask a quick question / make a comment or answer it. It's just so nice NOT to spend all day trying to catch people on the phone. Letters have their place, but you can't send a question & get an answer back same hour & anything which saves the disruption of phones is a huge plus. Letters are are only appreciated now precisely because of their rarity, a bit like the horse & cart.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Rachel — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:38:26 -0000

Alberto - that is one of my pet peeves as well. I mean, how hard is it to go through the email before you, pay attention, and answer all the questions listed? I'm not sure if it's because people are lazy? Or they think they can get away with avoiding those questions? Or maybe it's because so many people are alliterate these days (skimming what they read instead of fully comprehending it). So frustrating.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Sandra — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:06:14 -0000

Great article! It made me laugh. I always appreciate "real" mail, handwritten, because I know how easy it is to "reply to all" and send something via email. Good job!

Take care,
-Sandra

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

ophelia_chong — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:43:13 -0000

The rules should be this, if you would say it face to face than it can be email. Email however does not have tonal inclinations, so what reads as a sarcastic email is actually a light hearted joke. And since we are pressed for time, some emails are shorthand missives. "U r fired" or "C u at TGIF @8pm w/BFF" are extreme examples of quickly written emails with no nuances attached. A well written email is as rare as its older sibling the handwritten letter. :O) ophelia

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Lynn Latta — Sat, 24 May 2008 22:06:18 -0000

Reply all is crazy annoying.
Attention to how your email actually sounds is an are that needs attention.
Then the famous ALL CAPS LIKE YOU ARE YELLING!
Where are the email 101 rules?

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

ophelia_chong — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:15:03 -0000

I have always disseminated information in a different pattern than most people. I prefer stream of consciousness to straight linear thought. To modify myself would then take out what the truth in my own peculiar voice.

:O) ophelia

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

sbspalding — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:43:29 -0000

The phone call still exists, just not the land line. I think it does change the dynamic a little bit.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Evelyn Fielding Lopez — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:52:32 -0000

I love email, and I try to take care in crafting my messages (and I try even harder to think about sending before I send out something snarky). But there is no substitute for a real written letter or card for times when you really want to communicate something important: Sympathy, congratulations, best wishes, love.

Also, an email faux pas cannot be cured with another email. If you send out something nasty, offensive, or just really awkward, you HAVE to pick up the telephone and call the person to apologize. It's the only way you can be sure of communicating your feelings--email (even with the emoticons added) just can't sound sincere. You have to tell the person and let them hear you.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Francesco — Sat, 24 May 2008 04:54:55 -0000

The author instead of commenting on one topic has chosen so many topics that the readers have got confused. The author should modify or edit his blog.

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

ophelia_chong — Fri, 23 May 2008 23:40:55 -0000

Maybe paper airplanes? or a string that goes from desk to desk with laundry clips. :O) that way if you need to stop it before it hits the other desk you can grab it mid air.

:O)
ophelia

Re: Nice Threads You Got There

Kiwi D — Fri, 23 May 2008 20:27:44 -0000

more, more, more, great ! looking forward to your next blog. Keep it coming baby. Love dis life, email and all that's coming are way.